Climate Change Affirmed In All 50 States; Official WI Recognition Countdown Begins Now

Yet another periodic scientific study of climate change first authorized by Congress in 1990 came out Tuesday and said the effects of climate change have now been documented in all 50 states.

Some states have begun to fight back through aggressive programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through investments in greener, job-creating alternatives, like Iowa (see photo) and its concentration of wind farms.

Though Scott Walker has already lined up, in writing, with the petroleum-fuel based Koch brothers on climate change.

Regardless, here's the study - - written with business participation - - and here's the NY Times account.

One among Iowa's many wind farm installations

From The Times:

The report did find some benefits from climate change in the short run, particularly for the Midwest, such as a longer growing season for crops and a longer shipping season on the Great Lakes. But it warned that these were likely to be countered in the long run by escalating damages, particularly to agriculture.

From the report:

"Some of the changes discussed in this report are common to many regions. For example, large increases in heavy precipitation have occurred in the Northeast, Midwest, and Great Plains, where heavy downpours have frequently led to runoff that exceeded the capacity of storm drains and levees, and caused flooding events and accelerated erosion."

So we begin here today the countdown for an official State of Wisconsin acknowledgement and response despite the Walker administration's appetite for fossil fuels and hostility to green alternatives.

A logical place to see the discussion would be the DNR's climate change webpage - - which used to have substantial data and links and materials - - but which I've noted several times on this blog has not been updated since June 2012.

I do see two news releases referencing climate change on the State Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection departmental website.